Myth: ab exercises will give you a "6 pack"

Have you ever heard of the phrase "Great abs are made in the kitchen, not the gym" and this one "You can't out exercise a bad diet"... well, although these may seem clique, they have been told over and over again because of the truth they hold.

Probably the most important piece to understand is that when it comes to getting that ripped 6-pack, you already have them!  We all do, anatomically speaking, it's just a matter of making them visible.  We can do as many abdominal exercises as we want, but unless we lose those few extra pounds, they won't show.

The second thing to understand is calories in vs. calories out.  So you just burned 600 calories at the gym during your morning exercise routine.  You needed to re-hydrate so you downed a sports drink at the gym and now your starving on the way to work so you stop by the local coffee shop and grab: a bagel with cream cheese, a bottle of orange juice, and a blended mocha (just to cool you off).  Your feeling great right?! Well, watch how this adds up:

Sports Drink: 100 calories
Bagel: 320 calories
Light Cream Cheese: 100 calories
Orange Juice: 115 calories
Blended Mocha: 280 calories
Total: 915 calories

Now I don't want you to starve yourself after a good workout... we just need to remember that food is to fuel our bodies, if we want to lose weight, it's a balance between exercise and good nutrition.  In order to lose weight, we must have a calorie deficit.  Stay tuned: in an upcoming article, I will talk about small daily dietary changes you can make to make a big impact in your life.

oxox, Em